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Now What? Online: Complete Index
Saving Old Scrapbooks
Swede Success
Whatever Floats Your Riverboat
Born at Sea
Pinpointing Pioneers
Making Corrections
Securing Social Security Applications
German Guidance
He Who Shall Remain Nameless They had five other children, the next of whom, Phillip, was born in 1898 and died in 1907. The 1900 census lists the family in Toledo, Ohio, with Phillip, but not this first child. I conclude the first child died before the 1900 census, but I've been unsuccessful in finding a record of his death. I've searched death indexes, obituaries and cemeteries. What other resources are available for death information about an infant?
Border Disputes
On the Map
Civil Service
Family Tree at Your Fingertips
Bills of Sale
Missing Prints
A Question About Questions
The Paper Chase
Preserving Research for Posterity
Early Arrivals
Census Substitute Teacher
Waiting Game
Down to Business
Fatherly Advice
Canon vs. Civil
Apple of Your Eye
Pin the Head on the Ancestor, Anyone?
Sticky Situations
Patent Pending
The Short-for List
DNA Done Right
Postitively Negative
Past and President
Finding Missing Parents
Finding Free African-Americans
The Joys of GEDCOMs
Ancestral Hide-and-Seek
Palm Reading
Building a History
Numbers Game
Smack-Down
Brand Names
Photo-Copies
Grave Signs
Civil War Soldier Search
Making the Switch
Read All About Newspaper Preservation
Something to Talk About
Digging for Answers
Naming Nephews
Ontario Online
Pondering Ports of Entry
The Family Plot Thickens
Finding Adoption Answers
Enumeration Districts
Learning Legacy
Connecting to Castle Garden
Creative Chart Resources
Relative Research
Safe Keeping
Raiding Records
Photographs on Cloth
Ellis Island Inquiries
Dissecting Division of Property
Spelling Lesson
Labeling Your Old Photos
Other Ellis Island Records
Photo Postcards
By Any Other Name
First Papers
Shifty Slides
Getting Back to Town
Seeking German Army Veterans
Not Everyone Stopped at Ellis
The German Godfather
Italian Military Records
From Family Tree Maker to the Web
How to (Safely) Mark Your Photos
Q #2: It seems that all the articles about photo restoration say not to write on the back of photos with anything other than a soft-lead pencil. Several years ago, I wrote names, etc. on the back of some of my photos using a waterproof and permanent ink marker that I purchased at a photography store. The pictures are still in perfect condition today. Is there any reason I shouldn't be using this marking pen?
Alien Ancestors
German Immigration in the 1870s
World War I Rosters
Germans through Staten Island
Indentured Servants
Organizing Photo Collections
Picturing Your Ancestors' Ships
Finding German Origins
Workin' on the Railroad
Signatures on Early Records
Indexing the 1910 Census
County Origins in Ireland
Uncharted Waters
Permission to Publish
Where's the Will?
Irish Immigration through Canada
A "Herd" of Immigrants
Estate Questions
Descendants of John Brown, Abolitionist
Brick Wall in 19th-Century North Carolina
"Flying" Irish Nuns
Surname Sources
Family Bible Puzzle
Breaking Off Twigs
A Sticky Situation
Locating Photographers
Tintype Talk
Planting Your Tree Online Pose your questions to our family history experts.
I've discovered scrapbooks my mother made in the 1930 and '40s. The pages are black and have glued-on photos and paper ephemera such as party napkins, dance programs and school papers. What's the best way to preserve this material? Also, how should I photograph the pages?
My grandfather Carl August Petersson (he later went by Charles) was born in 1863 in Sweden, and died in America in 1927. I've spent years searching unsuccessfully for his birth parish. He spent most of his life here in northern California. Records I've found list his birthplace as only "Sweden."
My German ancestors arrived at New Orleans in 1853 and traveled to Ohio by river boat. I've found their passenger list to New Orleans, but how can I find record of the next segment of their journey?
If someone was born aboard an immigrant ship traveling to America, how and where is the birth recorded?
My great-grandparents Thomas and Elizabeth Teter came west on a wagon train after 1892. They lived in Memphis, Scotland County, Mo. Is there any way to verify their names on a roster or find out which wagon train they were on?
My great-grandmother's death certificate gives her father's name incorrectly, and the mother's name is blank. The birth year is even different from what's in her obituary and on her gravestone. I have proof of the correct names through my genealogy searches. How can I get this corrected, so later generations have the correct information?
I've been stuck on my dad's family tree. I'm looking for my grandfather's birth certificate, but I can't order one without the mother's maiden name. I have my grandfather's birth and death dates and Social Security number, as well as his dad's name and mother's given name. Can I find out information with a Social Security Number alone?
Where would I write to obtain the birth information of my great-great-grandfather, who was born in the area of Oberbieber, Germany?
My great-grandparents Minnie and Meyer Gilbert had a child in South Bend, Ind., in 1895. I have a copy of the birth record, but it doesn't give the name.
My fifth-great-grandfather died in Berkely County, Va., in 1799. This county is now in West Virginia. Which state should I research in?
I've been trying to research a town in Poland that had a name change. (I seem to remember a Family Tree Magazine article on this topic.) I have two different spellings for this town and just can't seem to find the new name.
All I know is that my great-grandfather Joseph A. Harbison fought for the Union in the Civil War. He enlisted from Pennsylvania. How do I get information about him?
I just purchased palmOne LifeDrive handheld computer. I've never used one before. I have Family Tree Maker on my computer, and I can use it to create a GEDCOM file, but do I need software on my handheld to receive that data?
My family has a number of slave bills given to our great-great-uncle who lived in Athens, Ga. They're faded pen-and-ink documents that state the date, sale price and a brief description of the person traded. How can I find out a value for these documents? If we sell them, who should we contact?
Two Family Tree Magazine E-mail Update readers posed newspaper research questions—each is looking for a newspaper article about a relative, and niether knows the name of the newspaper it's in.
What research information can I reasonably expect genealogical or historical societies (or other organizations in my ancestor's locale) to provide for me via mail or email?
How do other genealogists handle computer and hard-copy data? I use software and keep paper copies of family charts and group sheets because I'm visual and prefer to see full data. As I find information, I enter it into my software and then on family sheets, thus inputting it in two or more places. Printing copies at each update wastes paper, but my hard copies get messy and sometimes I forget to enter data in all places.
What can someone who has no living heirs do with his or her photos, birth certificates and other family heirlooms so they won't be thrown away? Is there any organization I could donate these items to?
On Sept. 9, 1738, my ancestor and 348 others landed at Philadelphia on the Glasgow. I'd like to find out more about the ship, for example, when it was built, its size and what happened to her later. Where can I learn this? I've tried Web sites such as the Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild, but the content is mostly passenger lists.
Are any states besides Idaho reconstructing the 1890 census? I'm interested in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
My ancestor Thomas Goodrich is listed in Madison County, Ky., in the 1840 US census. I plugged Madison County, Kentucky into the Family History Library (FHL) catalog's Place Search, and I have three pages of books and microfilms I'd like to glance at or at least see indexes to. Is there a quicker way to view these sources than ordering film through an FHL branch Family History Center and scrolling through the films after paying and waiting for them to arrive?
My great-great grandmother owned a variety store, but we have only approximate dates (1880s through the 1940s) and we're not sure where in Massachusetts the store was located. What records are available to learn more about the business?
I think my father, Gust Klug, came through Canada to the United States, but I don't know what year. He was in World War I at Camp Custer in Michigan, and I think he was discharged from the Army there in 1919. I'd like to learn his birthplace and when he came to the United States.
Our genealogy program's kinship report shows categories called Civil, which has Roman Numerals, and Cannon, with Arabic numerals. What do cannon and civil mean?
I happily made the switch to a Macintosh computer, but I'm holding onto my old PC because I haven't found a suitable genealogy program to transfer all my Family Tree Maker files. I wish Family Tree Maker would create a version for Macs because I really enjoy the program. Can you suggest another program for Mac users?
We're hosting a family reunion this year and I'd like to get ahold of some games everyone could play. Do you have suggestions for books that could help me?
Before she was married, my grandmother had three children (including my father) by different men. She had three more children when she married the abusive man who raised my father and gave him a surname, but not much else. I've met my biological grandfather, who admitted to being my father's father, but never embraced the relationship and died with no acknowledgement of my dad as his son. Should I research that grandfather or the abusive step-grandfather? What's the common practice—follow the biology or follow the surname?
My grandmother gave me a newspaper article about an ancestor who received a patent for some kind of saw in 1911 or 1912. I've tried searching the US Patent and Trademark Office Web site, but haven't found any matches. I don't have a patent number. Now what?
I found my great-grandfather on a passenger arrival list for the Port of New York. He arrived in 1915. But there are all sorts of notations—numbers and abbreviations—on the entry with his name. What do they all mean?
I was adopted and I'm trying to prove my surname connection to a possible biological relative. I believe that I've found a male third cousin. Each of us is in a direct male line back to a common great-grandfather. Which Y-chromosome test(s) would be appropriate to prove the relationship?
My grandfather gave me boxes of family research materials with hundreds of early (pre-35mm) black and white photo negatives. Many were taken at family reunions. I'd like to have prints made of some or all of the negatives, but I've been unable to find a company that can process them. Do you know where I might have my negatives made into prints?
I'm curious about how quickly the so-called genealogies come out when we have a new president, and how they nearly always show connections to European royalty. Movie stars often are portrayed this way, too. Can these pedigrees be true? How are they compiled so quickly and why do they invariably display famous relationships?
My grandfather, George Tolson Jones, was baptized Episcopalian by a traveling minister in Melville, La., on July 7, 1896. How would I go about getting records that show his parents?
I'd like to know how to find where free African-American families came from. I can trace ancestors to Maryland and North Carolina, and found them listed in Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina from the Colonial Period to About 1820 by Paul Heinegg (Genealogical Publishing Co., $75). These people were landholders, too.
Q. How do I get a GEDCOM file? Do I have to buy it, download it or what?
Q. I'm having extreme difficulty trying to track down my great-grandfather Martin Doran. According to family information, he left Minneapolis in 1917 or 1918, and the family never heard from him again. Do you have any suggestions on where to begin looking?
Q. Is there a personal digital assistant (PDA) that you would recommend for a family tree?
Q. I live in Dallas and my grandparents Lizzie and Ruben Unterman owned a tailor shop in Manhattan, New York City, probably in the 1940s and '50s. Where might I be able to find pictures of this shop?
Q. In Family Tree Maker software, I'd like to know how to automatically add a reference number to each family member. A few relatives already have numbers, and I want the new system to override them.
Q.In London, England, what would a smack owner be? It's listed in the city directory.
Q. How would I trace cattle-brand registrations? I have the names and sketches of some brands my great-grandparents used, and I'd like to see if the documentation would provide any genealogically relevant information.
Q. I have copies of professional photographs taken of my mother and aunts in the early 1940s. When I tried to make more copies using an in-store photo kiosk, I was told by store personnel that I couldn't. I know the studio no longer exists and the photographer has long since died. How can I make copies?
Q. My husband's great-great-great-grandfather died in 1896 and is buried in Marshall County, Iowa. The graves for him and his wife are marked by a single large headstone, with a smaller one for each person. Each small stone is adorned with an eagle feather and the outline of a face with an Indian headdress. "Father" is on one and "Mother" on the other. What does this mean?
Q. I am trying to find information about the death of a Civil War soldier. I have his military records, and they say only that he died at Fort Pickering, Tenn. on Aug. 17, 1862. He was in the Battle of Shiloh, Siege of Corinth. I am interested in finding out if he died of disease or wounds. How do I go about this?
Q. I'm trying to decide what computer to buy. I was told
that Family Tree Maker doesn't have a Macintosh version, and I have all my files on that program. Has anyone had this problem? My husband would like to upgrade to Mac. Please advise.
Q. Can you tell me where I might be able to find acid-free protector pages for a whole newspaper? My son collects newspapers with special articles to pass on down to future generations. Some of the papers are already yellowing and I can't find a store that sells large sheets to protect them.
Q. How do I get my relatives to talk to me about our family history?
Q. How do I find records on workers in coal mines? I am looking for those in Ohio.
Q. In a guardianship order (1825 Onondaga County, NY), the guardian is called the nephew of the deceased. Did nephew in that time and place generally mean the son of one's sibling or the son of one's spouse's sibling as it does today?
Q. Are there online records of Canadian deaths and births? I have a lot of grandparents from Ontario.
Q. Were there New York-area ports of entry other
than Ellis Island during the late 1890s and early 1900s?
If so, please provide their identity and how I may contact
them.
Q. Recently, while looking for a gravestone, I came across a stone with one surname on one side and a different surname on the other side. In front of the stone on both sides were several smaller stones with the individuals' names. I've never seen anything like it. Is this common?
Q. My great-grandmother was adopted in the 1880s. I believe the adoption took place in Michigan. I do know her birth and adopted names. How do I find out more about this?
Q. How does one make an enumeration district map?
Q. I'm a novice when it comes to using a computer.
I downloaded the free Legacy 4.0 program from the Internet,
and I'm having great difficulty mastering the simplest
operations: I'm unable to print the lines on the tree chart
where you enter people's names. Please advise.
Q. Where can I find immigration information about an ancestor who came through Castle Garden, NY, in 1874? I don't know what ship brought him to the United States.
Q. Could you please steer me in the right direction?
I'm interested in finding different types of blank tree forms.
I have access to the standard and fan charts, but I want to make
my family tree more original than those.
Q. How can I access information from a funeral home listing on a relative who resided in California and died in the area?
Q. I'm trying to find someone to tell me how to preserve old
letters. I have a collection from German relatives dated from 1890 to 1900. Please help.
Q. I am looking for service records for Phoebe Lou Parsons, a Red Cross US Army Nurse during World War I, who served in base hospitals. Where can I find these records? I have tried NARA with no luck.
Q. I just discovered an old 1915 black-and-white photograph that's printed on silk. I don't want to make any mistakes preserving it. But I don't know what the best way to do so is. What guidelines do I need to follow?
Q. I have not been able to find my grandparents in the Ellis Island records. My mother's maiden name does not even appear at all in the records. What now?
Q. Why would a couple be listed as heirs in a division of property of a deceased person unless they were related in
some way?
Q. We have a problem with different spellings of our name, Pargeon. Back to the great-grandfather it was spelled Pargin, Pargen and even DePearrygin, which we've been told is French. How do we tell which is correct?
Q. I recently spent a lot of time cross referencing my family photos with their negatives. I wrote reference numbers on Avery labels and affixed a label to the bottom right corner of each photo in a package and the package of negatives. How do you feel about marking photo details/descriptions in this manner?
Q. My parents came to this country from Germany around 1929. I know they came through Ellis Island. Will records for this timeframe be made available? If so, when?
Q. Were some personal photographs printed with a postcard-like back? I am just now going through old photos belonging to my cousin. Many are unidentifiable black-and-white postcards. One postcard, however, my cousin identified as being people he could recognize. This makes me wonder if some of the other unlabeled postcards aren't photographs taken by a relative.
Q. Where can I get verifiable information about an ancestor arriving in the Port of New York, May 21, 1848, on the Barque Atlantis from Bremen? I have a lead from the National Archives, but my ancestor's name is misspelled. I haven't found any help in German sources.
Q. My widowed great-grandmother Rosalie (Heinz) Thoendel immigrated from Germany to the United States in March 1877 with her four sons. In May 1877, she moved to Columbus, Neb. How do I find the ship and immigration papers? Being a female, was she required to be naturalized? I am at a dead end.
Q. I have some 35mm slides that were popular some years ago. Some of them have pictures of aunts, uncles, etc., who have passed away. I want to put them on my computer. I have PhotoSuite but I am unable to get the red tones out. The color on these pictures has turned red. What program should I use? What is the best method to save these slides?
Q. Is there a chance that someone out there has a history of the town of St. Francisville, Ill.? I can't find any thing on the Internet.
Q. I believe that my distant cousin was in the German army in World War II. Is there any way that I can verify this?
Q. Isn't it true that only the steerage passengers landed on Ellis Island and others were let off in New York City? That is what we were told via video when visiting Ellis Island. Neither of my grandparents from Germany and England ever set foot on Ellis Island. That was in the 1920s. I believe they got off in Brooklyn. I'm not sure of the exact location but Ellis Island only took the passengers that weren't being met by someone or had backing by someone. That is seldom publicized so most people think all immigrants landed on Ellis.
Q. When my ancesters from Germany (1700-1850) were named, they took their first names and many times their middle names from their godparents. Were these persons related to the parents? Were they just friends from the neighborhood or the church? Or were they business friends of the father? Is there any rule that was used when naming the children after the godparents?
Q. My grandfather served in World War I in Italy and was a prisoner of war of the Austrians. Where would I find information on this beside getting his military papers? How would I ask for this information? I am assuming I would write to Lucca, Italy.
Q. Will I be able to set up my own Web site with the aid of Family Tree Maker? Or will I have to subscribe separately for my own site? Any suggestions as to a good site?
Q #1: Before I knew any better, all my family photos are marked on the back in ballpoint pen. Will this damage them? Will the ink eventually seep through? I now have an archival marker for pictures going forward.
Q: How do I find information about my ancestors who never became naturalized citizens? My grandparents were required to register annually as aliens. The registration forms were available at our local post office. Have these records been stored anywhere and are copies available?
Q: My husband's grandfather and his parents came to the US about 1873, possibly by way of Liverpool. They were from Germany. Where in New York would they have landed? Which ports were open then?
Q: I recently saw a picture which everyone is sure is of my grandfather in an Army uniform, dated 1914. We'd never heard of him being in World War I. Someone said they thought he'd been in the Spanish-American War, which would have made him about 18. I had never heard that from my father or grandmother. My question is, how might I find a roster of World War I soldiers or where might I make an inquiry?
Q: The German ancestors I am trying to locate came to this country in 1890 from Germany through Staten Island to Michigan. Since they didn't come thru Ellis Island, where can I find information about where they came from?
Q: How do you find records on indentured servants? I have no idea what the name of the ship was. All I know is that John and William Nolan went on a ship somewhere in Ireland to sell boiled eggs and stowed away until the ship left port and then a tanner paid for their fare. Any help would be appreciated.
Q: I have a question regarding the organization of photographs. A while ago, I read Sharon DeBartolo Carmack's book Organizing Your Family History Search and pretty much followed her suggestions for organizing documents. However, I feel that photographs need to be addressed separately, mainly because I cannot copy/print them as easily as document sources (and isn't it true that you should only work with copies, not with the sometimes fragile originals?). I am thinking of organizing my pictures digitally, but am unsure which software program does what exactly for my purposes. Also, how do I keep track of the originals? What is the best, most efficient and safest way to store the originals, etc.?
Q: One of my ancestors came to New York on the ship Gil Blas. How do I get a picture of that ship?
Q: Is there any way you can find information about 19th-century German ancestors if you do not know where in Germany they came from?
Q: Where do I find the records of deceased railroad employees who received pensions/annuities? I'm probably wrong, but I seem to recall this system was similar to the current social security program.
Q: When early wills (1600s, 1700s) were recorded by the court, was the record copy transcribed by someone (clerk, etc.) or were they the person's own hand if they were able to write? Also, is the signature in the record copy the individual's signature? If a mark, is it the individual's? This is perplexing me as I have seen some beautiful writing in a hand that resembled the signature.
Q: The 1910 US census: Will it ever be indexed?
Q: I'm tracing my grandfather from Ireland. I have his application and final paper for citizenship, with the year. What would be my next step if I have no idea what county in Ireland?
Q: In a previous edition of this newsletter, someone asked how to go about separating a full family tree into smaller parts. I understand the mechanics of creating GEDCOMs from my full family tree, (e.g. I'm especially interested in making "Descendants of So-and-So"), but I'm not sure which ancestors to choose. Some of my many branches go back eight generations; others go back only three or four. If I choose certain ancestors, their descendancy will include other branches, or only other branches so far. To include everyone, it appears that I need to make about eight different "Descendants of So-and-So" reports, but my Family Tree Maker Web page only allows for four report links. Any suggestions?
Q: I have some questions after reading "Copyrights and Wrongs" (Now What?, February 2001). I have been doing family research for several years and with the onset of the Internet, I correspond with several other researchers. We send photos back and forth and other documents. One of the other researchers opened a private family Web site at MyFamily.com, and we've posted photos, death certificates, marriage licenses and other documents on this site. Is that wrong or illegal? We don't want to get in trouble. I am aware that photos cannot be reproduced if they are stamped "Do Not Copy" and if you want copies, you have to have written permission from the photographer. But I didn't know if we could legally make copies of death and marriage certificates or any other documents.
Q: I'm not sure if my grandparents ever had a will drawn up. They died 10 years apart. How would I go about checking to see if they ever filed a will? Whose death should I check first?
Q: I'm tracing my Fallon, Caslin, Donlon and Conry ancestors from County Roscommon, Ireland. I have found them in New York in 1847, but there's no record of them entering the United States at any of the eastern sea ports. I've also been in touch with the Roscommon Heritage Centre and they find no trace of these folks. I suspect they entered through Canada. What's the best course of action without a marriage or birth record? I think I need ship lists from Canadian ports of entry but don't know were to start.
Q: My father came through Ellis Island on a cattle ship from Slovakia when he was 12 years old. How were such passengers recorded when they landed at Ellis Island? Or is there no record?
Q: I have the estate record of Isaac Cornelius who died in Muskingum County, Ohio, in 1822. Not one family member was paid money from his estate, except a Jacob Cornelius who is not found anywhere in Ohio records. According to land records from Muskingum County, this Isaac's heirs were Elizabeth Cornelius, Sarah Cornelius, Christopher Cornelius (our direct line), William Cornelius, etc. Would the names of these people have been Isaac's children? It clearly states in the land records from Ohio that these people were Isaac's heirs. Also, in 1807 Huntingdon County, Pa., records, an Isaac Cornelius was imprisoned for bad debts. He turns over his personal property to a Jacob Cornelius for handling of his debts. When Isaac was released from prison he disappears from Pennsylvania records. I believe the Isaac who was imprisoned is the same Isaac who purchased land in Muskingum County, Ohio, in 1814 and was counted in the 1820 census. He must have died in 1822 since a Jacob received money from his estate.
Q: Where can I find information on descendants of John Brown, the abolitionist, who came to Virginia and then to South Carolina?
Q: My great-great-grandfather is a brick wall I can't go past. James W. Crutchfield was born in Orange County, NC, on July 6, 1811. I cannot find his parents or siblings. He was married (second marriage) to Sallie P. Jones, 1841 in NC, and there's no record found of that, although a first marriage to Lavinia Lashley, 1836, is listed. How can I find this information? Since censuses don't list anyone's names except head of household before 1850, I can't go by that! Help.
Q: I have several great-great aunts who came to Cincinnati from Ireland, possibly County Cork. They were Catholic nuns. How do I begin researching to find more about them?
Q. One thing about surnames has always puzzled me: If people were often named after their occupations, why is Smith the most common name instead of Farmer? A village could usually support only one or two blacksmiths, but had dozens of farmers. Yet Farmer is not even in the top 20. And why is Brown so popular, but there are only a few Greens and Blacks? Red and blue may show up in foreign names, but there aren't any yellows or oranges.
Q: I am fortunate to have a family Bible that contains several pages of information about my Noland ancestors. However, in the middle of all the relevant information about births, marriages, etc., there is an entire page of entries for people with the surname Coleman, along with a large handwritten notation that "these people are not related to the Nolands." What is the best method or site for posting this information? I would like for it to be easily found by anyone who may be looking for it.
Q: How do I separate my full family tree into smaller branches of each family for transferring to separate GEDCOM files?
Q: How can you easily remove photos that have been placed in albums that have a sticky glue-type surface without ripping the photos?
Q. How do I find a location of a 1900 era photography studio, if I only have the NAME of the photographer and no town listed? Is there a list somewhere?
Q. I've discovered a small box of tintypes. How can I decipher them?
Q. As a beginner, how can I send my family tree from my computer to my new Web site?
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